Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers found 7,500 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes concealed among the consignment in an arriving Malaysia-registered lorry on November 23, 2018.

In the wee hours of the morning that day, an ICA officer directed the lorry for further checks at Tuas checkpoint. It was driven by a 38-year-old Malaysian man.

The lorry used in the smuggling of duty-unpaid cigarettes. Photo courtesy: ICA

The ICA officer had noticed anomalies in the scanned images of the lorry which was conveying a consignment declared to be oatmeal. During the course of checks, ICA officers uncovered 7,500 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes. The case was handed over to Singapore Customs for further investigation.

The vehicle used in the commission of such offences is liable to be forfeited, ICA said in a press statement.

The total duty and Goods and Services Tax evaded amounted to about S$640,500 and S$46,950 respectively.

A total of 7,500 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes were seized. Photo courtesy: ICA